1. Field of the Invention.
This invention relates to doors and mounting arrangements therefor and, more particularly, to such a combination which may be readily installed in a closet door opening or the like to establish an easily positioned, lockable-barrier for security purposes.
2. Description of the Prior Art.
Roll-up doors constitute a convenient way of providing a door closure in a fairly limited space. This type of door is commonly used in so-called mini-warehouse or mini-storage facilities that are now generally available in metropolitan areas for storage rentals. Such doors, or curtains as they are sometimes called, are typically constructed of a sheet of relatively thin metal which is formed by stamping or rolling to provide a plurality of horizontal corrugations extending from edge to edge of the door. This construction permits the door to be rolled up as it is raised for opening so that it can be stored in a cylindrical configuration at the top of the door opening. Vertical tracks, which may be of extruded aluminum, are typically mounted at opposite sides of the opening and serve to guide the door as it moves up and down. During opening, the door is rolled about a barrel assembly which is constructed with a heavy wall, steel-tube axle and two or more galvanized steel drums, or wheels, mounted between brackets located slightly above the upper corners of the door opening. Adhesively affixed tapes extend along the inner face of the door where contact with the barrel assembly is made to protect the door against wear by the wheels and avoid rubbing of successive layers of the rolled-up door against each other. The barrel assembly is biased by tempered steel torsion springs to balance the weight load of the door, so that it can be easily raised or lowered in a simple one-hand operation.
Such a door construction presents a number of desirable features for the applications mentioned above. Thus, the door is relatively easy to operate, can be stored in a limited space and quite out of the way, can be constructed of readily fabricatable components, can be locked in a closed position, and is relatively simple and easy to install. These desirable attributes are adopted in arrangements in accordance with the invention which provide an improved roll-up door for a particular application.